It Marketing Whats The Time Frame For Business Success

Writen by Joshua Feinberg

Success with your IT consulting business won't happen overnight. In this article, you'll learn when you can expect to start bringing in some good profits.

IT Marketing: It's a Systematic Process

Ok, so you've joined the chamber, will be attending your first networking meeting this week, have participated in venture capital groups that are geared towards IT and have been handing out your business cards all over the place at regional trade shows. Unfortunately not much has come of this so far. What is the problem?

Time. It will take three to six months to begin to see the payoffs. You won't see immediate results by joining an organization. If, however, you have been actively participating for 6 months and still nothing is coming of it, it's probably not going to happen over the extended duration and you may want to bail and try another organization.

IT Marketing Requires Personal Relationships

Don't expect that you're going to go to one meeting or two meetings and automatically you're going to land a $25,000 account. Yeah, every once in a while you can win the lottery, but most of the time people have to like, know and trust you.

I'm going to assume that most people that are reading this have a nice, warm personality and they're friendly and charismatic people. You must be likeable and like working with people. It's a people business, so if you're a loner, you're going to have problems.

First impressions count for a lot. Dress neatly, build a rapport with the people you meet, hitting it off with them, and having good chemistry counts for a lot. Don't forget to send business their way if you run into someone needing their services. Don't stay hidden. Regularly get yourself circulating in the general public and give it time.

The Bottom Line about IT Marketing

IT marketing requires you to be patient and build personal relationships to start making a good profit. It won't happen overnight, but if you invest some time in meeting people and building rapport, you will start getting referrals to help your IT marketing.

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Joshua Feinberg has helped thousands of small business computer consulting firms get more steady, high-paying clients. Now you can too. Sign-up now for your free access a one-hour audio training program featuring field-tested, proven Small Business Computer Consulting Secrets.

Does Your Packaging Umm Smell

Writen by JoAnn Hines

If it doesn't, perhaps it should. The latest and greatest packaging innovations are packages that smell. They give those olfactory glands a workout. Watch for packages sporting "fragrances" such as chocolate and vanilla. Just think of all the calories saved by smelling the package and not even eating the product. Weight watchers should love it this concept. Consider all of the applications of tricking your stomach into thinking you have eaten (after all the smell of food is as important as the taste, well almost).

This is a great concept: Using your nose to sell products. The "smelly" package. I can see both the pros and the cons of using this innovation. First, let me tell you I have some samples of fragrance encapsulated in plastic and believe me they are still strong enough to knock over a horse. The fragrance does not truly represent the "essence" it is supposed to, but it does have an odor that works. I'm sure other essences are more "true" in fragrance to the real product they represent. It is especially long-lived too, e.g., never dilutes. In fact, the scent is so strong that I had to move the samples out of nose region for sanity sake.

Consider all of those smells that equate to the good things in life. Did you know the number one fragrance that appeals to men is vanilla? Apple pie, mom and all those homey smells are wrapped up in the analysis of that one fragrance. I am not sure I want to smell like a vanilla bean but it is a very popular fragrance in its appeal to women too. Vanilla fragrance has a multitude of applications useful in product packaging.

What about all the products manufactured that use a little "home cooked" smell? The opportunities are endless. While she is walking down the supermarket isle, delicious odors wafting about that are reminiscent of "home cooked" goodies. Even if she never uses the product, it could just sit on her shelf and smell as if she did. Forget fragrance candles. My toaster does it for me.

The scratch and sniff label application has been around for a while. It has always been prevalent in the cosmetic and toiletries industries but even toothpaste is using scratch and sniff now. How else could you discern your cinnamon toothpaste purchase from the bourbon flavored (just kidding)?

What about the coffee maker that emits the essence of fresh brewed Starbucks coffee? Cha ching! Think about the sales you could capture in this successful marketplace by using an appropriately dispensed fragrance on your product (essence de cappuccino). Anyone ready for coffee?

Let's face it. Marketers are looking for angles to get our attention in this sensory overload environment. Creating products emitting savory odors wafting down the shopping isles. "Smelly" packaging could be just one more way to entice her to pick your product up off the shelf.

Got packaging problems? I can help. Packaging problems are solved like magic when you work with the Diva. I teach you how to package products consumers will buy. Get advice from the top expert in consumer packaging. Email the packaging Diva @ PackagingDiva@aol.com

How To Persuade Others To Give You Their Money

Writen by Stoney DeGeyter

I'm not a sales person, but running my own SEO company has placed me into that role. I am my client's primary contact, not only for project management, but as the first sales contact when inquiring about our services. I rather enjoy the role of project manager, but I've never felt entirely comfortable with the sales role.

Over the years, though, I've gotten quite good at it, or at least parts of it. I can't sell everybody that calls, nor do I try, as I loathe high pressure sales tactics. I'm more casual and conversational with some good processes in place for follow up. But making a sale involves a fair amount of persuasion.

There are a number of persuasive tactics available for both the aggressive and passive individual, everything from fear to manipulation to coaxing to demonstration. Some of these methods are positive, some are extremely negative. I don't really want to discuss the negative avenues but rather the overall process that positive persuasion entails, and what you can and should do in order to be more persuasive to potential clients and customers.

Persuasion Starts with Availability

One of the most important things you can do to be more persuasive is to be available. After all, you can't persuade someone who can't get in touch with you. When our phone rings, someone picks it up. The only time the phone ever goes to voice mail is before or after business hours, which is generally after 6pm and before 7am all week. Unless it's a holiday, if you call, we'll answer.

Any sales or information calls are forwarded to me, as the primary sales contact and project manager. If I'm not available a message is taken and calls are immediately returned as soon as possible. Also, anytime a prospect fills out the form on our website, I place a follow-up call almost immediately. Forms that come in after hours are handled early the next morning.

You'd be surprised with the impression you can make with a quickly returned phone call. I can't count the number of sales I've made because I'd called and gotten a contract signed before another SEO company even returned the prospects call or email.

The Conversation of Persuasion

I know that high pressure sales work. If it didn't there wouldn't be so many people out there putting the screws to potential customers. But that's not my game. I'm more of a conversational type of person. If I'm talking to someone about our services and they tell me "no", I usually just leave it at that. I'm certainly not going to hound them or keep bugging them to sign up with us, but I also realize that if I can conversationally keep them talking then I've got a chance at changing their mind.

This happened just the other day. I had been talking to a prospect and he called me back as promised (a rare event, indeed) to tell me he had decided to go with another company. This company was "three times cheaper" than our services. Instead of letting him go at that, like I often do, I decided to ask him if he wouldn't mind telling me what the services are the other company was offering at a third of our price. Through that conversation I was able to point out the differences between our service and my competitors and provide him more information on what makes our services unique. I ultimately convinced him that we were the right company to go with.

The Honesty in Persuasion

I have a strict No BS policy. When clients call and ask about our services I don't make promises that can't be kept and I let them know up front what the situation is going to look like. Actually, you could say I take the "Scottie" approach. For those non-sci-fi fans, Scottie was the engineer on the original Star Trek series. Episode after episode the enterprise's engines would be damaged and the lives of the crew were at stake. Kirk would call Scottie and ask him how much time until the engines were fixed. Whatever the answer was, the death of the crew was going to result if the engines were not repaired far sooner than Scottie estimated. Of course, Scottie always came through in the end.

I would rather under-promise and over-deliver than the reverse. I always try to present the most likely and worst-case scenarios. This ensures that any new client fully understands that the process of optimization is not a short-term, quick fix solution, but a long-term investment. Who knows I've probably lost quite a few sales over the years by taking this approach, but a happy client is much better to work with than an angry one.

Following Through to Persuasion

A big part of our sales process is our follow up with prospects. Years ago I implemented an auto responder system for anybody who fills out a form on our website. Once a form is submitted, an immediate notification is sent out indicating that we have received the information. A followup email is sent out once a week for six weeks. These emails provide information detailing the benefits of SEO. They also include additional information about our services, client testimonials, and more.

I usually have already started a dialogue with the prospect, but these emails provide an additional point of contact with information that they might not have considered during our conversations.

When I send out a proposal to the prospect, I let them know that I'll be calling again in a few days to follow up and answer any questions they may have. By then, some have read the proposal and are ready with more questions, some are not. And of course, some can't be reached, in which case I simply keep trying.

In addition to the auto responders and no-pressure follow up calls, we also send out a letter or two via snail mail. In dealing with online businesses, where almost all communication is conducted by phone or email, we've been told these letters are a nice touch that also adds credibility and legitimacy to our company. Every little bit helps!

There is a lot more that goes into persuasion than these tips mentioned above. You can read my series on establishing web credibility, which stemmed from a study published by Stanford. Credibility is a big part of the persuasion process, but persuasion really is more about creating a path from the beginning to achieving a desired outcome. What you do along the way will determine whether or not you are able to persuade.

Read this article and more at the E-Marketing Performance Blog. Stoney deGeyter is president of Pole Position Marketing, a search optimization marketing firm providing SEO and website marketing services since 1998. Stoney is also a part-time instructor at Truckee Meadows Community College, as well as a moderator in the Small Business Ideas Forum. He is the author of his E-Marketing Performance eBook. (ea)

Voice Mail Can Be Your Buddy

Writen by Mike McDaniel

Voice Mail is a classy name for "answer Machine". Problem is, people at home had answer machines long before most businesses. When the answer machine industry finally figured how work to their machines into business systems with more than one extension, they called it "Voice Mail"

This article focuses on what you say TO the voice mail, not the welcome greeting you might put on your voice mail. You can leave two types of voice mail messages. A message to a person you already have a business relationship with, and a message to a person you hope to establish a business relationship with (a cold call).

Most people don't answer machines or voice mail. If you have an answer machine at home you have listened to that recorded silence while the non- speaking person breathes, then hangs up, having decided not to leave a message. Most answer machine message begin with a pause because the person on the other end was not prepared to leave a message and does not think on their feet like you and me. In business, the pause can kill you. Voice mail can be your buddy. Be prepared to meet it head on without a moment's hesitation. Just like you worked out your one sentence unique selling proposition and practiced the quick draw of your business cards for networking, you can be ready with several canned voice mail message and not miss a second when the thing beeps at you. Time is money. You took the time to make the call, so you should make every effort to make it pay for off for you. What you say is what makes the difference.

There is some research that says the average executive gets over 300 messages (mail, eMail fax and more) each day, not to mention the bombardment of advertising messages from billboards, TV, radio, cable and newspapers. That's a lot of clutter to penetrate. And if your message is ho hum, or starts with a pause... fahgettaboutit! Your message must attract attention right off or you go down with the delete button. Leaving messages for friends and family is a snap, a spontaneous act. Not so at work. You need to prepare your message.Be ready before you dial.

What do you say? You have to plan this in advance. Scripting is not a bad idea. I am not saying you should read from a script, but if you write and organize what you are going to say and read the script out loud enough times, it will sound like a natural when you recite it to the machine. Just like you rehearsed your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) so you don't have to remember, it just comes out naturally when someone asks "What do you do?"

I know of one eager saleslady who recorded her voice mail response on a little cassette machine hooked to her phone with a Radio Shack interface. When she gets the tone, she pushes the play button and sends it down the line. Another sales type, (let's call him "Bif") had a guy at the radio station do up a fancy 30 second commercial complete with production effects and music. There is a line you cross and Bif may have crossed it. Goals Your message should be targeted at building credibility, so when you call again and the party is in the office, you can get through.

How can you build credibility with a voice mail message? For starts, you don't leave a lot of ahhs, gulps, and uuhs. When you begin without hesitation, in a clear, concise, upbeat manner you are telegraphing a positive image of knowledge and confidence, even when you get the "unexpected" voice mail prompt.

As you deliver your rehearsed script over and over, take care not to speed though with little or no emotion in your voice. Remember how you feel when the place you call is answered by a bored, unhappy receptionist who speeds through the spiel with the "I don't care if you can't comprehend what I am saying" attitude. Your Voice mail pitch must be warm, and slow enough to sound as if it is coming from your heart, not your recorder on high speed.

Here are BIG Mike's Tips for leaving effective Voice Mail

DON'T BE PREDICTABLE

Everyone leaves the same tired message.You get tuned out the minutes it starts, Example of same ol same ol: "Hi this is Bif, we haven't met but I thought I'd call to see if you would be interested in hearing about my new..." UGH! Make your messages so compelling folks have to call you back. And don't drone on and on, make 'em short enough to entice, but long enough to incite.

IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU

This phrase pops up in every aspect of marketing, from advertising all the way down to answer machine and voice mail messages, Its Not About You.

Take a poll. No one cares about you. No one cares that your mug shot is 15 feet high on a billboard across town. No one cares if you are doing your own radio commercials and sound worse than the high school announcer. No one cares if your dealership has sold more cars than all the dealers in Central Montana. And NO ONE CARES when you leave a message about you, or your company. Its not about you. WIIFM.

WIIFM is not a radio station, is the acronym to remind you they don't care about you, instead they ask "What's In It For Me?" WIIFM??

SELL THE BENEFITS

The key ingredient for successful sales and marketing works for effective voice mail as well. What can you say that will lead the listener to know and believe that you have something of value for them? Prospects return calls if you convince them you may have something they want...and, soon.

ASK FOR THE ORDER

Voice mails have been asking callers to "Leave a message" for years, yet fully three quarters of those who do respond to the beep only leave name and phone number.

Your voice mail message gives you a perfect opportunity to call for action on the part of your listener (Remember you are competing with 300+ messages and the horrid reputation of telephone sales pitches (telemarketers).

Go for the close with a call for action. Ask them to do something. To Call You, To be on the lookout for a package from FedEx. To check records to see if you are not right on target. Ask and you'll get.

Voice mail response can be an effective sales tool. Voice mail is one of many tools the professional uses to get the job done, right

©2005 BIG Mike McDaniel All Rights Reserved Mike@BIGIdeasGroup.com BIG Mike is a Professional Speaker and Small Business Consultant with over 30 years experience, http://BIGIdeasGroup.com

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Trade Show Exhibit Shipping Tips

Writen by Dick Wheeler

Your trade show costs can dramatically escalate if you just happen to hire an inexperienced shipping company to transport your trade show booth to the conference site. You may suddenly be faced with broken or missing parts, late delivery and a budget that could put your company's trade show display in total disarray and your job in jeopardy.

Although unforeseen events such as a major winter blizzard can cause havoc with your trade show delivery schedule and budgeting, it is always best to minimize your chances for error by picking the right professional transportation company. If you want your trade show booth to arrive in good condition, on time and within your budgeted allowance, you need to be informed on how to pick the right freight handler and transportation company.

You can take control of your trade show booth's destiny by becoming fully informed. Bad weather, causing flight delays at certain times of the year, is a concern beyond your control. But just like you can reclaim lost luggage from an airliner if you have your name tag on it, you have a better chance of finding a lost or misplaced trade show booth element if, for example, you labeled every part of your trade show display in advance.

Although GPS technology has been a boon to tracking trade show booths, it can't find what is not labeled. And, since there are so many different people handing the shipment of a trade show booth, there is no guarantee that your trade show exhibit will arrive safely on the other end. You can, however, improve your odds of success by taking steps to insure your trade show display's safe journey. Thus, the first step is to find an experienced trade show specific carrier.

George Poppe of National Transportation in El Segundo, California, offers the following tips on what to look for in a trade show freight carrier. They are:

1. Make sure your transportation company records all of your trade show exhibit information, such as destination, schedule, weight, number of pieces, and exact dimensions of your pieces. This detailed information not only determines the cost of transporting your trade show booth to the exhibit site but also drayage costs (what the unions charge to deliver your booth from the loading dock onto and off the trade show floor)

2. Look for a freight carrier that has a good rapport with the unions so your trade show exhibit will be in reliable hands. You are better able to avoid unnecessary charges if your transportation carrier deals regularly with the trade show conference hall unions. Your carrier benefits from knowing the industry venues well--whether they be the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, the Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, the Moscone Center in San Francisco, the Santa Clara Convention Center or the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

3. Look for a transportation company that handles a large volume of trade show business. You can get price breaks if your cargo company has multiple or less than truck load shipments to a convention site. An example of what can happen is the recent Semicon West 2006 Convention at Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco July 11 -13th.

Poppe reported that, due to the popularity of this show, his National Transportation Company had to wait in the marshalling yard for 11 hours before delivery at the unloading dock. Because he had 3 trucks and multiple shipments, he was able to waive the waiting charge fees which would normally be charged. A less experienced trucker most likely would pass along these charges to the trade show exhibitor. Marshal yard fees range anywhere from $45 - $85 hour.

4. Select a trade show freight company that has first class communication capability. Check to see if they offer 24/7 contact with a live person, since trade shows are not a 9 to 5 business. Also make sure you give them contact names and cell phone numbers of your exhibitor reps on the trade show floor. Check to see if the freight company has the capability of sending Internet air bills and bill of ladings in case an air bill is lost and you need a duplicate copy immediately.

Poppe suggests that once you select your freight company, you should ship 7 – 10 days ahead of your targeted move in date in order to avoid late penalties. And be sure to also communicate your trade show exhibit details with the company you select to do your trade show installation and dismantling. It's really all about communicating.

Remember, do your homework in advance and know what you can do to avoid major mishaps of shipping your trade show booth. By picking an experienced freight company, you can minimize your exposure to mislaid or damaged trade show booth components and budget cost overruns.

Dick Wheeler is President of Professional Exhibits & Graphics, headquartered in Sunnyvale, California with a showroom in Sacramento. Firm is full-service premiere trade show exhibit, graphics and management services company. http://www.proexhibits.com